Potter Snapshots
by Mysterious Sunshine
Summary: Oneshots that show the aspects of Potter family life. Experience the tears, the shouts, the hysterical laughter, and most of all, the love that this family represents. Warning: where there is a Potter, a weasley is not far behind :)
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Hi all. I'm back because the plot bunnies forced me! I hope you enjoy

Note- Here are the ages for the children.

Lily is five, Albus is seven, and James is eight.

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K Rowling.

"Daddy, wake up," a little whisper pierced the silence of the room. Harry grunted, dismissing the voice as a whisper of his dreams.

"Dad!" another voice called, louder this time.

"James, be quiet. We're trying to wake Dad, not Mum."

Harry groaned again and opened his eyes. There were three indistinct shapes hovering over him. He groggily reached his hand towards his bedside table. A tiny, soft hand met his and placed a pair of glasses into it. Harry sat up, placed the glasses on his face, and stared at his three pajama-clad children.

"Do I even want to know why you three are up at…" he flicked his gaze towards the muggle digital clock that he had bought last Christmas "six o'clock in the morning?"

"It's Mothers' Day and we want to make Mum some breakfast," Lily chirped.

"Shh," Harry hushed gently. He stood and beckoned his children to follow him.

They sleepily shuffled their way to the kitchen.

"What shall we make her?" Harry asked Lily, James, and Albus.

"Let's make pancakes," Lily suggested.

"No, we can make her waffles," James countered.

"Pancakes are better!"

"No waffles are much tastier!"

"Pancakes!"

"Waffles!"

"Pancakes!"

"Waffles!"

"Enough you two," Harry said sternly. "We'll make her one pancake, and one waffle."

Lily and James both nodded in agreement.

"Albus, what else should we make?" Harry asked his youngest son.

"Mum really likes omelets," he supplied.

"Ok, one pancake, one waffle, and an omelet it is. Why don't you three get started on the pancake and waffle batter." Harry instructed as he extracted some eggs and vegetables from the refrigerator.

"Oh no, we don't have any cheese. You three wait right here while I floo over to Grandma Molly's house and see if she has any. Don't do anything until I get back," Harry warned as he rushed into the living room.

Seconds later, a flash of emerald green light briefly filled the living room and kitchen and then it was gone.

"Well, let's get started," James announced excitedly.

"James, did you not just here Dad? He told us not to do anything until he gets back," Albus scolded.

"Oh c'mon Al, we know what we're doing. All we do is mix some stuff together."

Albus wasn't reassured by this but Lily was already grabbing ingredients from out of the refrigerator and lower cupboards.

"Now Lily, pour some milk into the bowl," James instructed. Lily did so, being very careful not to spill. She filled the bowl to the top.

"Now, I'll put some eggs into the bowl," James said, dropping three whole eggs into the bowl. Milk sloshed over the sides.

"James, you're supposed to crack them," Albus informed him.

"Right you are," James conceded and smashed the eggs with his fist, spraying even more milk.

"You're making a mess James!" Lily exclaimed.

"Albus pour in some flower," James commanded, ignoring Lily's exclamation. Albus brought over the bag of flour and began to slowly pour it.

"You're not doing it right. Give me that." James snatched the bag of flour from Albus and dumped all of the contents into the bowl.

"Now, we mix." James announced, grabbing a spoon from the nearest drawer. Albus and Lily did the same.

"It's missing something," Albus pointed out.

"When Mum makes anything like pancakes, she puts yeast in it. She told me that yeast and magic make things rise," Lily informed them proudly.

"Well she keeps the yeast in the top cupboard and none of us can reach it, not even with a chair," Albus said.

"Then we'll have to use magic. Good thing I borrowed Dad's wand before he left," James declared proudly.

"You're going to be in so much trouble," Albus warned as James extracted the wand from the pocket of his pajamas.

"Not if this turns out to be the best breakfast ever," he countered. He waved the wand over the mess of flour, milk, and eggs. It began to rise, but rapidly and in an out-of-control manner.

Harry flashed back into the living room carrying a block of cheese from Molly's house. As soon as he had entered the house, he knew that a mess was being created. He hurried into the kitchen and gaped at what he saw. His three children were covered in flour and milk and on the counter; a large mass of white goop was slowly filling the room. James stood, his white face set in fear as he frantically waved Harry's wand. Before harry could say anything, an explosion burst from the wand and hit the goop, which in turn exploded. Lily, Albus, and James made it out of the kitchen in time, but Harry wasn't that lucky.

Ginny Potter was sleeping peacefully in her bed until an explosion jolted her from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and moaned.

"Just one bloody day of sleep," she mumbled as she through on a dressing gown and ran downstairs.

In front of the door leading to the kitchen, she saw her three children covered in what looked like milk and flour.

"Hi Mum," James greeted, trying to sound cheerful as he ruffled his hair, causing flour to fall to the ground. Ginny gave them a stern look and gestured for them to move aside and let her into the kitchen to examine the damage.

Upon walking in, she was severely shocked to find the kitchen completely covered in white goop. It looked like snow and in the middle of the kitchen was what looked like a statue. Ginny walked through the goop on the floor and drew her wand. She wearily approached the human-like structure and began poking it with her wand.

"Hey, watch where you're sticking that thing," a voice mumbled. A white hand came up to rub at the face and Ginny could see it was harry.

"Harry!" she yelled, trying to push down her laughter. She turned with the intention of glaring at her kids, but their faces were so guilty.

"Happy Mothers' Day?" they chorused uncertainly in unison. That was it for Ginny. She let out an explosive laugh. Harry continued to wipe his face in vain. Finally he gave up and rushed over to Ginny, covering her in goop.

"Pancake/waffle batter fight!" James announced and the games began. Batter balls flew in every direction and Harry and Ginny laughed.

"Best Mothers' Day ever," she whispered to harry. He grinned and lobbed a batter ball at her.

A/n- I hope this made you giggle, if only just a little bit. I'm trying to decide whether to make this a collection of oneshots in which we see the antics of the Potter family. Be sure to review and let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

A/n- Here's another oneshot for you. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling

"Daddy!" a cute little voice rang out, breaking the long silence. Harry Potter had been previously bent over his desk; glasses perched precariously on his nose as he read a recent Auror report that he had to turn into Kingsly Shacklebolt at the end of the week. He straightened up and looked towards the door of his study, which framed a five-year-old red-headed girl in pink pajamas.

"Hello Lily pad," he greeted with a smile. Lilly hopped into the room and seated herself on Harry's lap. Harry removed his glasses and rubbed his tired, green eyes. Upon replacing his glasses, he stared at the clock.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" he asked, ruffling Lily's hair.

"Yes, but I need a story. You forgot about my bedtime story," she pouted, her bottom lip poking out adorably.

"How awful of me to forget a story. Don't worry, I shall tell you a magnificent tale of wizards and witches," Harry pronounced in his deep, story-telling voice that Ginny always teased him about when

the kids were in bed. But Lily was shaking her head.

"Not about a wizard or witch this time. I want to hear a muggle story," she explained.

"Ah, that will be slightly more difficult, but I believe with the right amount of hidden magic, I can tell you the most daring of Muggle stories," Harry declared, placing his arms around lily as he stood and trotted out of the study. Lily giggled all the way to her small room painted with golden snitches. Harry tossed her lightly onto her bed and she giggled even harder.

Lily burrowed herself under the golden blanket and Harry settled himself in beside her.

"All right, I have a story for you, but you can't interrupt unless I tell you so. Talking at the wrong place in the story will ruin the magic," Harry said, attempting to keep a straight face. Lily, her little face lighting up with fascination, raised her little hand like she was in kindergarten.

"Yes?" Harry acknowledged.

"I thought this was a muggle story. How can there be magic in a muggle story?"

"Muggles have a secret magic, one that few wizards know about. I know about it a little because I was raised by muggles, and now I'm going to let you in on the secret," Harry whispered causing Lily's eyes to blaze.

He began telling the story of a young Chinese princess who dressed up like a man and joined the army to protect her father. Lily oohed and awed at all the right parts.

"Why was Shang mad at her?" Lily asked.

"Because women weren't allowed to join the army and she had broken the rules and lied about it," Harry explained.

"But she was just trying to help her Daddy so that he wouldn't die," Lily protested.

"Yes, but Shang doesn't know that.

Harry continued with the story and didn't get interrupted anymore. He finished with.

"And they lived happily ever after."

Lily's eyes were heavily lidded. It looked like she was fighting to stay awake but she was losing.

"I loved that story Daddy, but there was no magic in it. I didn't hear anything about spells or wands."

"That's because it wasn't wizard magic, it was the magic of imagination. It takes imagination to create these daring tales of princesses and warriors."

"Will I ever have that kind of magic?" Lily asked sleepily.

"I'm sure you already do Lily pad," Harry replied, sliding out from under the covers and tucking them around Lily.

"Good Night," he whispered, closing the door softly behind him.

A/N- Ok, who doesn't love Father/Daughter scenes? They are just so warm and fuzzy. Well, you all know what to do. R&amp;R


	3. Chapter 3

A/n- I'm back. Sorry for the sort of long period of no updates. I've been busy with college work. Lots of reading, writing, science, and a bunch of other not fun things. Ok, enough about my miserable life as a college student. Anyway, a few of you were interested in seeing the mothering side of Ginny, so here it is.

Disclaimer- I do not, nor will I ever, own Harry Potter. That belongs to the wonderfully talented J.K. Rowling.

Lily Luna Potter sat at the dining room table, fidgitting with a tube of frosting. She had been like this for the majority of the morning. Home from Hogwarts, she was far from a peaceful Christmas holiday. The words of her boyfriend, Larry Thomas, kept replaying in her mind like a broken record or one of Uncle George's "repeat peta chips."

"Lily, we need to talk," he had said a few days before the end of term. Lily, who had been sitting in the Gryffindor common room, doodling absent-mindedly on her Potions essay, looked up.

"Oh hi Larry, you're back from Transfiguration early," she smiled. Larry smiled back.

"Yes, Topan let us out early. I reckon he was tired of us mucking up his toads. Anyway, I have to ask you a question."

Lily dropped her quill and gave Larry her undivided attention.

"Lily, I love you," he said earnestly. Lily gasped in surprise. She wasn't expecting that to pop up in a casual conversation.

"Larry… Are you… but… we're only fourteen," Lily stuttered, desperately trying to collect her scattered thoughts.

"Yes, I know. But you're the prettiest, bravest, most interesting girl I've ever known. What's the matter, don't you love me?" he asked playfully. The question was delivered with a teasing tone, but Lily could see that this was the important question he meant to ask. Her mouth hung open in complete shock. She honestly didn't have a response for that. Seconds turned into minutes as she stared at Larry, struggling to find the right words.

"I care about you," she decided. Larry, who's face was falling by the minute, smiled gloriously.

"That's brilliant, practically the same thing. Well, since we love and care about each other, I reckon we should take it to the next step."

"The next step?" Lily asked in confusion. Larry smiled and pulled a package from his pocket. Lily leaned in to see what he had and flinched back when she saw that they were condoms.

"Larry… I… I… um…" For the second time in two minutes, Lily had no intelligible response and no amount of time or sorting through her jumbled thoughts would produce the ,right wording. She was not used to feeling so helpless in a conversation. Usually, she could solve any problem with a bit of thinking and a well-aimed bat-bogie hex.

"Lily, you know all of your dormmates and their boyfriends are having sex. That's how they show each other how much they care. Nothing will happen to you because we're going to use protection. If you want, I can find you a contact for birth control if that would make you feel better."

Lily just sat there and stared at him, dumbfounded. Finally, she stood.

"Larry, I... I have to think about this. I care about you a lot, but you have to give me a little time." Larry nodded.

For the remainder of term, Larry constantly questioned her about having sex. Each time he asked, she deflected his questioning. Finally, as they left the train at King's Cross, he asked again.

"Maybe after break."

Now lily sat, trying to decorate a gingerbread house and she couldn't focus.

"That's quite an odd shape. Someone call Luna, you might have finally drawn an accurate rendering of a Nargle," a playful voice laughed. Lily jumped and look down. The tube of frosting she was drawing with was half empty and what was supposed to be a square window looked like a blob with little tinticles sticking out.

"Sorry," Lily muttered sheepishly.

"It's all right, your brothers are going to eat it regardless. Now, what's the matter with you. I've never seen you fidget so much, especially when decorating for Christmas, that's your favorite thing to do," Ginny Potter asked, looking over Lilly's shoulder. Lily nodded in acknowledgement. She didn't know how to ask her mother the questions she desperately needed answers to. If she were to ask either of her brothers, she would be signing not only her's, but Larry's death certificates. If she asked her Dad, then her and Larry would be creamated, and then sent to separate ends of the earth. Her mum was her only chance.

"Mum, what does it mean to be in love?" Lily asked cautiously . To her shock, her mum laughed.

"Oh Lily," she said, sitting down next to her. "Love is a bit more complicated than a simple definition. It's a lot of things. It's sacrifice, bravery, a disregard for what others think on the matter, balance... Why, do you think you're in love?" Her mum asked. Lily looked up at her and rung her hands together, forgetting she still helt the frosting tube. Frosting squirted everywhere. Lily made to get up and wash her hands but Ginny flicked her wand and the sticky mess disappeared.

"Yes….. no… I don't know! Larry Thomas, my boyfriend, said that he loved me."

"And what did you say?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I told him that I cared about him. Then he said that because we loved and cared about each other, we should have- have s-sex to show it," Lily stuttered nervously, running her now-empty hands through her thick, red hair.

"And did you have sex," her mum asked calmly.

"No. I didn't know what to say. He promised that he would use protection, he even had a condom with him. He told me that if I wanted, he could find me some birth control," Lily shuddered at the memory.

"Do you want to have sex," her mum prodded gently.

"No, and that's the problem. Mum, shouldn't I want to have sex with him? I'm suppose to care about him and I can't even show it." Lily put her head in her hands.

"Lily, it's normal that you don't want to have sex. You're only fourteen-years-old. You are so young and you're not fully equipped to feel complex romantic emotions. Plus, your one of the few girls in the Potter/Weasley family and you have a lot of male family members who are crazy."

"But Larry feels those complex emotions," Lily protested, her voice muffled in her hands.

"Sweetie, he's a boy. Boys are very physical thinkers. I'm a hundred percent sure that he doesn't know what love is, and neither do your classmates who are having sex."

"But what if I did want to have sex, should I?" Lily asked, raising her head slightly.

"As an overprotective parent, I would say absolutely not, you are never to have sex as long as I have breath in my body! But, you're Dad is overprotective enough for the both of us, not to mention your brothers. Listen lovebug, you're growing up, even though you're still pretty young. It's your body and your life, and I, along with everyone else, will love you regardless of what you do. But along with the decisions you make, you need to no the consequences and risks. I know you're aware of the possibility of pregnancy and disease, even with protection, but there is more to be lost. You see, while sex is a physical act, it also involves a lot of emotion. You give yourself, your whole self, to another person. You trust them with your fears, insecurities, and imperfections. Your first time is one of the most magical experiences that you can ever imagine. But once you give yourself away, you can never get that back. There are no do-overs, and it hurts you more than you could ever imagine. Lily, whatever you do, don't let yourself be pressured into performing such an intimate act when you are unsure of your feelings. And if anyone ever forces you, or makes you feel forced or threatened to do anything of a sexual nature, then honey, it's not love."

Lily leaned into her mother with a sigh.

"I guess it's not love. He'll break up with me now," she said sadly, blinking hard against traitor tears. Ginny wrapped her arms around lily.

"If he likes you at all, he will respect your decision and you will go on like you were before. If not, then he wasn't right for you in the first place." The two of them sat in contemplative silence for awhile

"Thanks Mum," Lily whispered, pulling away and reaching out for a new tube of frosting.

"Anytime Lils," Ginny smiled.

A/n- Ok guys, you know the drill. Loved it? hated it? Let me know. Also, if you have any ideas about cute family moments, drop me a line and I'll be sure to give you credit for your idea.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey readers! No, I'm not dead, just got turned into a college student. I know "gasp!" Since the 17th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts happened a few days ago, I thought I'd write a oneshot to honor the occasion.

Disclaimer: You already know I don't own it.

The large group of witches and wizards assembled by the Black lake were somber. Most were wearing black dress robes and dresses. Some, such as in the case of the Scamander family, were adorned in beautiful shades of yellow and blue. Harry Potter sat in the front row, a three-year-old James wiggling in his lap. His extremely pregnant wife, Ginny, was holding a more subdued Albus. Next to her sat Teddy Lupin. His black dress robes brought out his paleness and he looked abnormal with the absence of his colored hair.

"We are here today to honor the brave souls who fought in the Battle of Hogwarts," Kingsley boomed calmly. "All of them fought so bravely." Kingsley gestured at Harry, and handing James to Ron, who was sitting next to him, stood up and approached Dumbledore's tomb. Everyone who knew of Harry's fame, and didn't know him as a person, ooed quietly.

"As you all know, I was at the Battle of Hogwarts," Harry began. He hated making speeches, especially about this. Though it was ten years ago, the pain was still fresh. But he felt that he owed to his lost loved ones. "I knew most of those who died on a personal level. Fred. Remus Lupin. Tonks. Colin. Severus Snape. And so many more," he said. He scanned the crowd, catching Molly and Hagrid sobbing in to handkerchiefs.

"It was horrible and how I wish I could have saved them-have saved them all. But I know what they were fighting for. They gave their lives so that our children could grow up in a world where they could walk down Diagon Alley and not fear for their lives. They gave their lives so that Hogwarts could be a safe haven, a place of learning and magic like it was when I was eleven. They gave their lives so that we could have a future, so that our, and there, kids could have a future." Harry scanned the crowd again. Ginny's face was streaked with tears and Albus was touching her cheeks in curiosity. Ron had put his arm around her and Hermione seemed to be whispering words of comfort. But who Harry didn't see was Teddy. Quickly, he gestured to Luna. Though she had always been unique and on the weird side of things, she was also wise and somehow seemed to know what Harry needed. She glided up to Dumbledore's grave in her yellow dress that she had worn at Bill and Fleur's wedding. Harry quickly sprinted from the crowd mouthing the word "Teddy" to a confused and concerned Ginny.

Teddy had never been past the great hall since he wasn't a student yet, so Harry checked there. A gaggle of house elves, including his elf Lolly, were preparing the tables for the memorial feast.

"Does Master Harry Needs something?" she squeaked.

"I'm just looking for Teddy, have you seen him?" Harry asked. Lolly shook her head in defeat.

"That's all right," Harry reassured her. "He's around here somewhere, I'll find him."

Harry began his search on the first floor, but came up with nothing. As he began to ascend the main staircase, a thought hit him. Teddy knew all about the Marauder adventures. Harry sprinted outside and passed the gathered crowd. Luna was saying that those who died aren't truly gone.

Harry walked up to the Whomping willow, though it no longer did so. The tunnel was still there and with sheer will, he forced himself through it. The abandoned shack was dusty and creepy as usual. It was quiet except for a small movement on the upper floor. Trying not to think about what had transpired ten years ago in the very same room, Harry walked up the rickety staircase. As he got closer and closer to the top, he heard small sobs.

"Ted. Teddy." Harry called softly. He lit his wand and saw teddy curled on the rat-eaten mattress. He looked up, his pale cheeks streaked with tears.

"It's my fault," he whispered, burying his face in the musty material.

"What's your fault?" Harry asked, easing onto the bed next to him and placing a hand on the distraught boy's shoulder.

"That they died," he whispered. Harry froze and then pulled Teddy into a tight hug. Teddy sobbed into his chest and Harry rocked him back and forth.

"It's not your fault Teddy," he whispered.

"But everyone said that they all died for us kids you-you said it," Teddy said, his voice shaking.

"They did Teddy, but it's not your fault. Even if you weren't born, they would have fought in that battle. I know how you feel. I used to think it was my fault that Voldemort went after my parents and killed them. Sometimes, on a very bad day, I still think that. But after a while I realized that my parents hated everything Voldemort stood for. They would have fought him even if I wasn't in the picture. And besides, you and I didn't ask to be protected. It was our parent' decision. They chose to do it and we have no control over what they did. All we can do is live our lives and cherish the memories that are left to us."

Teddy sniffled and looked up at Harry.

"What if I can't make them proud?" he asked in a small voice. Harry raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What if they died for me and it was all for nothing?" he asked again. Harry closed his weary eyes. He had never wanted his godson to feel like this, to carry the burden that Harry had once carried. But Harry was there for Teddy. Teddy had someone to dissuade these fears.

"Their already proud of you. They've been proud since the day you were born. Your dad came bursting into your Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur's cottage waving a baby picture of you in our faces. He did that at the battle too." Harry smiled in remembrance

"Really?" Teddy asked hopefully.

"Teddy they loved you so much. They are proud of you and so am I," Harry told him, ruffling his hair.

"Even though I cried like a baby?" Teddy asked, his cheeks reddening.

"You had a reason, unlike Uncle Ron when someone ate the last apple crumble last week," Harry laughed. Teddy smiled, hugging his godfather tightly.

"I love you Harry," Teddy said.

"Love you to Teddy," Harry responded, hugging back fiercely. They stood to leave.

"Hey Teddy? I know that memorials call for somber clothing and Ginny would have skinned me alive if I came to it wearing red or green. But, I think you could use a little color. Alby was looking at you like he had never met you before. Teddy gave a toothy grin and his lank brown hair turned a shade of bubble gum pink.

"That's better," Harry smiled, leading the way out of the shack and to the Great Hall where he hoped Lolly had saved him some treacle tarts.


End file.
